Lockheed Martin Awarded Study Contract for Israeli Navy LCS Design

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a foreign military sales contract valued at
nearly $5.2 million to conduct a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) feasibility
study for the Israeli Navy. Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will
examine possible modifications to its LCS design to meet specific Israeli
naval requirements. Lockheed Martin is currently building the first LCS for
the U.S. Navy.
During the nine-month feasibility study, Lockheed Martin will examine
its current LCS design for hull, mechanical and electrical system
compatibility with the Israeli Navy's combat systems and other
requirements.
The successful completion of this study could lead to follow-on
contracts to design and build one or two ships for the Israeli Navy.
Construction of these ships would occur at Marinette Marine and Bollinger
Shipyards in the United States. Several other countries also have expressed
interest in Lockheed Martin's LCS design concept.
The first LCS for the U.S. Navy, Freedom (LCS 1), is currently under
construction at Marinette Marine in Marinette, WI. Freedom, to be
homeported in San Diego, will launch in the summer of 2006 and be delivered
in 2007.

The Lockheed Martin team design, a semi-planing survivable steel
monohull, provides outstanding maneuverability with proven seakeeping
characteristics to support launch and recovery operations, mission
execution and optimum crew comfort. The Lockheed Martin-led team includes
naval architect Gibbs & Cox, ship builders Marinette Marine, a subsidiary
of The Manitowoc Company, Inc., and Bollinger Shipyards, as
well as domestic and international teammates.